Big moment' for Detroit Titans

Photo courtesy of Detroit Mercy
Andrew Khalil (27) helped Detroit Mercy win the MAAC lacrosse tournament championship and earn a berth in the NCAA tournament. Khalil played high school lacrosse at De La Salle.

Unseeded, and in some corners of the lacrosse world unloved, Detroit Mercy enters the NCAA tournament at powerful Notre Dame on Saturday determined to keep the good times rolling.

“This is a big moment for us and for anyone who has ever doubted us,” Andrew Khalil, a Titans captain from Macomb Township, said. “We actually think we have a chance against Notre Dame. We’ve come so far.

“We’re not going in there just to enjoy the moment.”

Advertisement

A five-year-old program, Detroit Mercy upset its way into the 16-team NCAA field with a pair of victories in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament at Buffalo last weekend.

The Titans, seeded fourth among the four teams that entered the MAAC semifinals, knocked off top-seeded Marist 7-6 on Friday to reach the championship match.

Davenport was a Grosse Pointe North senior when Detroit Mercy made its lacrosse debut in a 21-1 loss to Ohio State on Feb. 7, 2009.

Now, all these months later, after the Titans have taken some lumps, and played at some of the sport’s elite locations like Maryland and North Carolina, Detroit Mercy and Ohio State are on common ground as participants in the NCAA tournament.

The Buckeyes are the No. 3 seed. Denver is the No. 4 seed.

Detroit Mercy and Notre Dame have never met in lacrosse, but the teams played two exhibitions early this season.

The Titans left those encounters with the Irish confident they can compete.

“We stuck with them for most of the game,” Davenport said. “We’re looking for a win.

“We’re on Cloud 9. There has been a lot of hard work. We’ve put in a lot of practice time.

“This is a great opportunity for our team to put the Detroit Titans on the map, along with the MAAC conference.”

The Detroit-Notre Dame game will be televised on ESPNU and on WatchESPN.com.